Mrs Kim's Order
by what-if-joana
Summary: Mrs. Kim doesn't trust Lorelai to find a suitable escort to Lane's wedding, so she takes matters into her hands and calls Luke. She demands him to come to her daughter's wedding. It gives Luke the opportunity to talk things out with Lorelai. Hopefully, it's not too late to fix things with her. / Takes places in "I Get a Sidekick Out Of You" and prevents Lorelai's awful speech.
1. Once In A Lifetime

_Hey everyone. (: this story takes place in season 6 "I get a Sidekick out of you". I borrow quite some dialogue from this episode and the following ones. Sometimes there are even some references to the revival. I've had this idea for a very long time now, and I finally managed to write it, so I'm very excited to share it with you. Also, I hope no one's mad that I'm posting this new story, instead of updating "_ First _Year of Marriage". Have_ fun _and enjoy the read._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Once In A Lifetime**

"You have to come to the wedding!" A voice raged on the other side of Luke's phone. He didn't recognize the number, but the area code was his hometown. Maybe, it was an emergency. He had to pick up, just to be safe.

He also had to pick up after he had embarrassed himself in front of the entire group of April's class. The ringing phone had interrupted a tour and all the kids had glared at him because he did not know how to behave at a cultural site. April glared at him for a moment too, but then rolled her eyes and turned away, bringing a hand to her head.

It was the best idea to excuse himself for a moment and just take the call, which had so rudely interrupted the tour. Around a corner, he found a quiet place and he was finally able to answer the call. On the other end, there was an angry voice, giving him orders over the phone. He had not expected that kind of call. It was not an emergency, at least not to him.

"Who is this?" Luke managed to say when the voice took a small pause to catch its breath.

"This is Mrs. Kim, Lane Kim's mother, your employee," she explained, to which Luke rolled his eyes. He was so grateful video calling was not a thing yet. The glare of Mrs. Kim would have given him for rolling his eyes was probably more terrifying than the kids' ones.

"Oh. I'm sorry. But I can't come to the wedding. Didn't Lorelai tell you? I'm out of town," he said, switching right back into topic.

"Out of town for the wedding of my daughter, who is also your employee?" Mrs. Kim laid emphasis on that fact again and Luke didn't understand why she did that. He knew who was working for him.

"Yes, I'm with my daughter," he said, laying emphasis on that. Mrs. Kim was not the only who could play the daughter-card. "I'm escorting her on a school trip."

"The only one you should be escorting at the moment is your fiancée."

"Lorelai is her own woman," he argued.

"Not at a wedding. You know what they say about single women of a certain age at a wedding, who dress like Lorelai?"

"No," Luke's voice trailed off. He frowned. He had no clue where Mrs. Kim was heading with this.

"That she's a tramp and possibly, up for sale," she said, her voice sounding dry. She was not joking.

Luke's frown deepened. He had no clue how to respond to that, so Mrs. Kim would be pleased but at the same, telling her this was ridiculous. "If anyone's approaching Lorelai, I'm sure she'll have a comeback for that. She can handle herself very well."

"She shouldn't need to handle herself. You should be there to escort her," Mrs. Kim insisted nevertheless, not considering his arguments.

"I'm with my daughter, I won't be home for another two days."

"You can't come home a day early? I'm sure there are plenty of other parents, who can chaperone on the school trip."

"I-" Luke wanted to argue back, but Mrs. Kim carried on, "My daughter is getting married, are you aware of that? That's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

"I know. I've been there when she got engaged."

"How would you? They got engaged right in front of me."

Luke bit his tongue. Mrs. Kim did not know about the engagement in the diner. But Mrs. Kim kept on speaking, not dwelling on this, which was to Luke's luck.

"Anyway, my daughter's wedding is only once and she deserves everything she wants. And she wants you there. You play a significant role in her life, not just because you're engaged to her best friend's mother. You are her employer, you see her every day. You can't miss the wedding. It's not negotiable."

"Mrs. Kim," Luke argued, but it fell on death ears.

"Lane is getting married and I want that day to be perfect. You being there is one of the many puzzle pieces to make it to perfection. Are we clear?"

Luke sighed. How was he supposed to argue with that? "Mrs. Kim," he said, but the way said was not strong enough, she overheard him again and was not taking his objections in.

"I see you tomorrow," she said and then she hung up on him.

A deep sigh escaped him. He closed his flip-phone, putting it back to his pocket and then brought a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing over it.

Mrs. Kim had ordered him to come to the wedding, no negotiations possible. She would be furious if he wouldn't show up. And if he did not want anyone's hate on him then it was Mrs. Kim's. She was unpredictable, and like a little tyrant when it came to the wedding.

Coming to the wedding, also meant he had to find a way to get to Stars Hollow a day earlier than expected. He had to be at the wedding, no matter what, but he had no clue how to pull that off. It was a whole other subject and it left him rubbing his neck nervously for the rest of the tour when he finally joined the kids and the other parents again.

April avoided his gaze when he came back, and he felt a lump forming in his throat. He had to talk to April when he wanted to leave the school trip earlier. There was no way around it. When she was not onboard with this, he could not leave. And while Mrs. Kim's orders needed to be followed, he could not leave his daughter disappointed. Not when they only were slowly forming a relationship.

He approached April after the tour when there was a little time to relax. He took her aside, and asked, "Hey, so this trip was fun. Wasn't it?"

"Yes," April said, raising an eyebrow at him. She picked up on the weirdness of the situation. It was a weird opening of a conversation. Luke decided it was best to get it straight out, without further ado.

"So, you know, there's a wedding coming up in Stars Hollow tomorrow, and I sort of need to go there," Luke said; his voice sometimes sounding a little shaky, after all, he was not sure how April would react to the news he had to deliver. "Only if it's okay with you. I mean, if you're not, I'm staying here, but my presence is demanded."

"Oh," April said, looking down at her shoes. When she finally looked up again, she asked, "Whose wedding is it?"

"Lane. You know, my employee."

"I know who Lane is, Luke," she said, rolling her eyes, just like he had done when Mrs. Kim assumed he had no clue who Lane was. "I had no idea she was getting married."

"Yes, to Zach. That's her band mate."

"Cool."

"So, you would be fine when I left the trip tomorrow morning instead of the day after tomorrow? Lane was not as cool about me being absent as I thought she would be. It's a once-in-a-lifetime event after all." Luke tried to argue the same way Mrs. Kim had done.

It seemed to work, April shifted back and forth on her feet. "I guess." She shrugged. "I mean, the main event of the trip is over anyway, and the rest is just extra."

"Are you sure?" He wanted her to be okay with his decision. He was still learning the ins and outs of being a parent and he wanted to avoid making her mad at him at all costs.

"Have you asked the other parents yet? Is it okay with them?" She asked.

"I wanted to ask you first." He was hoping she would get that her opinion mattered the most to him.

"Very considerate," April noted.

"So, you're fine? If you're not, I'll just tell Lane."

"No, you should go there," April said. "She's your employee, an important employee, and a nice person. It would not be right if you couldn't go."

"You're sure?" Again, he wanted to make sure she was not just saying this to please him.

"Yes, dad." She smiled at him.

By the use of dad instead of Luke, he instantly knew she was serious. Luke had no other choice than to draw her into an embrace. He had such an understanding young daughter. "Thanks, kiddo," he said.

For a second, she was hugging him back, but then she pushed him away. "It's alright, the others are watching," she said. It had slipped his mind that she had to act cool in front of the rest of the group.

April's understanding had surprised him. She had taken it very well. She was definitely an approving young girl, who was more understanding than most people he knew in his life. He was very proud of her in this moment, and at a later time, he would tell her that. Maybe when they were in private and she wouldn't feel embarrassed so easily.

After April's approval, all that was left for Luke was to speak to the other parents. He approached them in the evening and explained his situation, going into the details about the very special circumstances and the fierceness of the mother of the bride, who had ordered his presence for the sake of Lorelai not being called a tramp.

"How long have you been engaged to your fiancée?" One of the women asked after Luke had explained his situation.

"About a year," Luke answered, doing the math quickly in his head.

"When's the big day then?" She asked.

"We don't have a date yet."

"But you've been engaged a year," the woman pointed out.

"It's complicated. We had a date, and then April found me, so we decided to postpone."

"Postpone to?"

"To later." Luke shrugged.

"Do I get this right? You let your fiancée go to a wedding of a twenty-one-year-old all by herself when the two of you haven't set a new date yet?" Luke nodded to her summary. "That is horrible. You can't do that to her. She'll feel humiliated, sad, and probably devastated without you there. At least, that's what I would feel like," she exclaimed.

The other parents backed her up and enlightened why Luke needed to go to the wedding. Not because the bride wanted him there, or the mother of the bride demanded of all women to come escorted. The parents told him all about how Lorelai was supposedly feeling in such a situation.

Luke sighed deeply when he was in his room, letting the day and its events sink in. How could he not know about all of this? How could he miss that Lorelai was miserable with the whole situation but for most with the wedding situation? On the phone, she seemed fine. She always was fine.

When he left in the morning, he was uneasy. He didn't know what to expect once he was back in Stars Hollow. Even April picked up on his nervousness when they said their goodbyes.

"It will be alright," she told him.

"What?" He had no clue what she was referring to.

"You know, with your fiancée." One of her shoulders jerked up for a second.

"How do you know about this?" He never mentioned his problems with Lorelai to April.

"I overheard you talking with the other parents." She looked over her shoulder where the others were standing and waiting for them to say their goodbyes.

"Of course, you did," Luke sighed. This was not the kind of things a kid should be worrying about or even think about. "You're still okay with me leaving?"

"Sure."

"April." He knew that tone of hers. He was introduced to it on this trip. There was something else on her mind and Luke prompted her to spit it out.

"Once I'm back, I'll meet your fiancée, right? I mean, I know her daughter, so I sort of have an imagination what she must look like, but it's not the same. I want to see her in person." April was clear about her intentions, asking things from Luke, which had never crossed his mind.

"You have met her. Back in January, I think." The day was clearly marked in his mind. The way Lorelai looked at him with her eyes filled with hurt and betrayal was a lot to handle. The situation was overwhelming; it still was at times now.

"I remember some very blue eyes, but it was not very long. And it was not official if I can't remember more of it," April argued back.

"I didn't know you were interested in getting to know her." Not once had he heard her saying so.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I mean, you didn't show much interest when we met her daughter in Philly," he argued. April seemed distracted in Philadelphia at Jess's place.

"Because there was so much going on there. I figured I would see her sometime soon again. The art I could only look at that evening," she explained in a voice, which sounded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Alright. I didn't know you wanted to meet them."

"Next time, you could ask before making assumptions." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and was also raising an eyebrow, so it would peek out under her pair of glasses.

"Okay." Luke gulped, taking a moment to wrap his head around this. April had not asked him to meet Lorelai; she had demanded to meet her. "You'll meet Lorelai and Rory once you're back."

"Maybe for my birthday since that's coming up. Two things at one sweep; it would be more efficient," April suggested, opening her hands up in a gesture.

"And efficiency is what we all want," Luke concurred.

"Exactly." April nodded her head enthusiastically. "So, I guess I'll see you soon. Give Lane my best wishes. That's what you're ought to say to the bride, isn't it? It's been ages since my last wedding. I can't remember if I was able to speak in compound sentences back then."

"I'm sure you could."

"Anyway, thanks for coming." She smiled up at him.

"It was my pleasure," Luke said. "Am I allowed to hug you?"

"Only if it's quick."

"Come here," Luke said, taking his daughter in his arms. "Thanks for being so cool about all of this. I'll make it up to you once you're back."

"That's okay," she said once Luke let go of her. Her head jerked over her shoulder to see the other's reaction.

"I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Enjoy the rest of the trip," he said and then looked back to the other kids, waving at them. They waved back at him, exclaiming, "Bye, Hagrid!"

That name was another thing he needed to ask Lorelai about, but not before they had discussed all the things, which had been on his mind ever since he had talked to Mrs. Kim yesterday.

He was on his way back to Stars Hollow, a day earlier than expected and even though the place he was headed to was home he was nervous. He had no clue what to expect. Especially, when Lorelai really felt the way the other mother had told him so. Maybe Lorelai felt devastated, maybe she was sad going to the wedding without him. Maybe it bothered her that a twenty-one-year-old was getting married before them, even though they had been engaged longer than them, hell they had been even longer in a relationship than Lane and Zach.

Putting it like this, it had to bother Lorelai. Of course, it bothered her. There had been no talks about their wedding in weeks. And suddenly, he remembered what she had told him on Martha's Vineyard, that to her it felt like the wedding would not happen. If he had a word to say in this too, that would not happen. He had waited too long for her to be ready; he would not give up on her so easily. He was ready to do whatever it took to make her happy again. He had neglected to do so long enough. Today, it would come to an end.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading. This was it for now and I hope you enjoyed it. Luke not being at Lane's wedding still seems not right to me after all these years, especially since he was there to witness her engagement. It doesn't make any sense. Yes, so I decided to let Mrs. Kim kick his butt a little. It seemed to work. Yay! I will see you for this story very soon, I promise. In the meantime, let me know what you think. (: As always, I wish you a nice rest of the weekend or just good start into the new week - depending on when you read this. xxx_


	2. Last Minute

_Wow, just wow, you all blew my mind with the response to this story. I had no idea the fandom still needed stories to fix the pain of season 6 so badly. I'm grateful for every single reviewer, especially for the guest reviewers, who I can't reply to with a message. Shout-out to Nancy because your review was so wonderful and made my day when I read it. All in all, thanks to everybody, really! I hope you keep enjoying_ the ride _._ (:

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Last Minute**

"Michel is going to the Céline Dion concert," Lorelai groaned as she hung up the phone.

"Bummer," Rory said, very well aware that her mother was not done complaining about her situation. Still, she kept her eyes fixated on the Sidekick in her hands.

"What am I supposed to do now? Mrs. Kim made it very clear not to show up without a guy. This is ridiculous. Even when I have a man, I'm still the girl who doesn't have a man. This sucks! I've known Lane since she was a little kid. She's spent more time at our house than at her own, and now I'm gonna miss her wedding? Fracking Céline Dion!" Lorelai let her thoughts out. She thought Michel was a safe bet, but then he canceled on her last minute due to his one true love Céline, but still. She would miss her daughter's best friend's wedding.

All because Luke was on a trip with his daughter. She had no right to blame him for that, still, she wished he could be here, even though they were having problems. But that was another cup of coffee.

"You want me to see if dad can go with you?" Rory suddenly suggested.

"What?" That certainly threw Lorelai off. It had not crossed her mind. It was actually out of her mind. It was a possibility she would never have thought of. To be honest, any other person would have come to her mind before Christopher.

"I've got him right here," she said, holding the Sidekick up. "He's turning left on main, and he found a buffalo-head nickel in his glove compartment."

"No, I don't know." Lorelai frowned, waving the suggestion off. "It's Saturday. I'm sure he's busy."

"He just left the hardware store, and now he's parked on the side of the road trying to decide how many tacos he wants. I vote three, 'cause two just never seems enough."

Even though Lorelai could not disagree on the taco issue; she felt uncomfortable with Chris showing up here to escort her to a wedding, to someone's wedding he didn't even know well. And there was also Luke. That was a bridge she was not ready to cross. Instead, she found reasons why this could not happen. She said, "Okay, so he's not busy, but the wedding is starting in 45 minutes."

"He can be here in 20."

"Seriously?" Lorelai asked, her eyes widening. It was fortunate he was close. Missing Lane's wedding was not an option, but it was Chris. She was conflicted.

"Wow, four tacos. Quite a man, my father," Rory said. "So, what do you think? Should I pull the trigger?"

Before Lorelai could make up her mind, there was a knock on the door. It was an odd moment, but she went to open the door anyway. It gave her time to ponder, even though she did not have much left.

When she opened the door, she half-expected Chris to stand there because Rory had already texted him, but she was not right with her assumption. On the porch was indeed a man standing, but it was not Chris. She was relieved it was not Chris. She had not been ready to pull the trigger.

In front of the door was a man though. One who could escort her to the wedding. He was GQ-ed up and looked as handsome as ever. She found a guy, who would go with her to the wedding. All by herself. There was no need for Rory to text Chris about it. Absolutely no need. Not with the man, who was standing right in front of her.

"Rory, call it off!" Lorelai said. "Plan's changed."

"What?" Rory replied.

"Luke's here!" She yelled towards the living room and then turned to Luke, smiling. She stared at him like he was a miracle. Unreal, yet amazing. She had not expected him to see him today.

With a hand, she reached for his chest, smoothing over the lapel of his suit, holding onto the fabric of the jacket for a moment, and then letting go of it. She had to make sure he was really there, and he was. Still, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"We have a wedding to go to today," he answered, entering the foyer. It was far too casual for Lorelai's taste.

"But you were supposed to be on the school trip," Lorelai said, stepping back to make room for Luke and to close the door behind him.

"I left early." He shrugged.

"Luke," she sighed when he came to stand right in front of her, just inches apart.

"Mrs. Kim ordered it," he simply stated.

She didn't question it and was just happy to have him here with her. His reasons were secondary, not important. He saved her from missing Lane's wedding. He also saved her from asking Chris to go with her.

Lorelai chuckled and then she decided on a whim to lean up to peck his lips. It was the happiness hormones, which made her do so. She placed her right hand on his shoulder for keeping her balance, while her left hand rested on his chest. Luke brought his arms around her, drawing her into a hug, which also prolonged their kiss.

When their lips parted, neither Lorelai nor Luke ended the embrace, so Lorelai rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying his presence. The scent of his aftershave filled her nose. She closed her eyes for a moment, being fully in the moment, and then bringing her left arm around him, so she could press him tighter against herself. She had missed him, and now he was back. He was back in her arms.

He was back 36 hours early, which meant something. And while she knew they were having serious problems, his showing up changed something. At least, that was what she hoped for.

Luke broke her trance, by saying something close to her ear. It brought a chill down her spine, a good one, not because she was scared. "You look nice," he said.

Again, she half-smiled and half-chuckled. In the short two minutes, Luke had shown up he had been able to make her smile so often, cheer her up, take her thoughts somewhere else. It was such a Luke thing to make her smile with the silliest things. He hardly told her she looked stunning or beautiful. Telling her she looked nice was Luke code to all the great adjectives she longed to hear so much.

"Right back at ya," she said into his ear and nuzzled his neck. And because she could she placed a kiss right behind his ear, where his skin was sensitive. In response, his hands roamed over her back. Lorelai also brought a hand to his nape, so she could play with the soft locks in his neck.

The moment was broken, when they heard a voice from the living room. "Is it safe for me to come to the foyer?" Rory asked.

She must have figured that Lorelai and Luke needed a minute or two to themselves. She was considerate, but at the same time, a little hesitant to come in here. She was probably covering her eyes in case Lorelai and Luke were not decent, which they were, even though they were in an intimate embrace. "Yes, nothing dirty ever happened in here. So don't be scared," Lorelai told her, while her mind went to a very nice end of a date a while ago.

"Judging by your voice, something dirty had happened in here sometime in the past," Rory argued.

"It might, but not right now," Lorelai assured her, let go of Luke and smoothed over her dress. She glanced at Luke, who straightened out his jacket as well.

Rory came in, an eyebrow raised and inspecting both of them from top to bottom. At last, she said, "Hi, Luke."

"Hi, Rory." He smiled at her, and then looked back and forth between the two women, when he added, "Are you ready?"

"We still have a little time. 45 minutes till the wedding, so I'd say we leave in 10?" Lorelai suggested.

"But I will go now," Rory said hastily. "I promised Lane I would be there for her a little earlier. You know some bonding time between best friends before she gets married. I'll see you there."

"Alright, kid. We'll meet you there," Lorelai said. She watched as Rory grabbed her belongings within seconds and left through the door. Rory waved at them, and both Lorelai and Luke waved back at her. It seemed like she was fleeing from the situation or she was just considerate to give them the space they needed. Rory was aware of the problems in Lorelai's relationship with Luke.

Nevertheless, Lorelai did not have the time to read anything into Rory's behavior, she was caught up with Luke's sudden show-up. "I can't believe you're here," she gave away, whacking her hand at his chest playfully. With the days apart, she longed for some body contact, feeling him close.

"Me neither," he revealed with a sigh, but there was a small smile playing on his lips. Lorelai could have lost herself in his eyes, in his smile. But then reality caught up with her, with the past weeks, with all that was bothering her. The tender moment was gone, and while her own smile vanished from her lips, she tried to keep a straight face. She walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. She changed topics and said, "So, tell me about your trip! You look wiser and older."

"It was a pretty good trip," Luke confirmed, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah?" Lorelai turned her head to her left, so she could look him in the eye. At the same time, she flattened out the dress's fabric. It was a way of coping, so her hands were occupied and not fumbling nervously around. Yes, Luke was still able to make her nervous.

"She called me dad," Luke told her.

A breath got caught in her throat. This was huge for him. Very huge. "Oh, hon," she exhaled at last.

"In front of all the other kids. And at the same time, I embarrassed her. Something about being overprotective."

"Now you can call yourself a real parent. You're not a real one until you have embarrassed your kid in public," Lorelai said.

"That's what I figured."

"This sounds like you had a very successful trip. Some bonding time with April."

"Yes, it was-" Luke shook his head, not bringing his thought to an end. There was a pause coming up between them. It was not comfortable lingering there in the silence. It wrecked Lorelai's nerves, so she had to escape this situation.

"Actually, I just remembered," she said. "I will reapply my lipstick real quickly and then I think we're good to go, okay?"

"Sure, I'll get some water in the meantime," Luke said and got off the couch, so he could make his way to the kitchen. For a moment, Lorelai watched him, her gaze not drifting to his butt, which she usually liked to look at. She tilted her head, trying to come up with what could be going on in his head, but she had no idea. She had not known in weeks.

She had no time to mull it over properly and hopped up the stairs to reapply her lipstick like she had told Luke. She took her time, more than she actually needed. Just so she could have little time to herself, a time to analyze the situation. At first, she was overwhelmed and happy with him being in here, but then the awkwardness and tenseness of the last weeks caught up with them.

When she came down the stairs, Luke was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He asked, "All set?"

"Yes," Lorelai answered, grabbing her purse. "Let's go."

Like a gentleman, Luke opened the door for her and he also offered her his arm as they walked to the town center. Lorelai took him up on the offer. If he was making a step towards her, she could extend him the same courtesy. Considering the high heels she wore today, she could use the support of a strong arm. She linked her arm with his and they walked to the Kim's house.

"So, the hanging stuff did come in handy in the end?" Lorelai asked as she held onto Luke's arm, the fabric of the black jacket under her palm.

"I should listen to you more often." He smirked at her, guiding her through the town, making their way across the town's square.

"These words are like music to my ears," she cheered, bumping her shoulder into his.

It was so easy to banter with him, so easy to fall back into old routines. It was easy and natural with him. A reason, why he was right for her. He got her. And because he got her, he rolled his eyes at her comment, which made Lorelai smile. She had no clue how he was able to do that to her.

Again, she had no the opportunity to get into that any deeper because they arrived at the Kim's house. Mrs. Kim was greeting them at the doorway and Lorelai dragged Luke to her.

"Excuse me. Hi, Mrs. Kim. I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Luke Danes, who is also a man," Lorelai said.

Mrs. Kim acknowledged her by looking at her, then her eyes darted to Luke. She nodded to him, and said, "Luke."

Also nodding, Luke returned, "Mrs. Kim."

Lorelai and Luke entered the house, and Lorelai hissed to Luke, "Mrs. Kim greeted you and not me. Why?"

"Because I followed her order and escorted you to her daughter's wedding."

"Yeah, you're a total lifesaver," Lorelai scoffed in a mocking voice.

"Who was supposed to come to the wedding with you instead of me?"

"Michel canceled last minute on me because he sees Céline tonight," Lorelai explained.

"Who wouldn't ditch you for Céline?" Luke teased.

"Not funny," Lorelai said. "Well, I had to come up with a something instead. So it was either missing Lane's wedding or asking Chris to escort me."

"Christopher, really? You wouldn't have considered that, right?" Luke frowned.

"Missing Lane's wedding was no option," Lorelai clarified.

"Oh." Luke gulped. He brought a hand to his neck, rubbing it.

"Is he still that big of a deal?"

"I don't know," Luke revealed. "Would you have kept it from me?"

Lorelai hesitated. She had no clue how the whole the day would have played out with Christopher there. She had no time to play it through, sort out all the details. Maybe, she would have told Luke on purpose, to see if he got jealous. A negative reaction was better than no reaction at all. "I wouldn't have," she said at last.

"Okay," Luke said, clenching his jaw.

"I like having you here better."

"Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't have believed the weird things, which are going on here," Luke said and jerking his head to the other side of the room, where there was an altar built and all sorts of rituals were already taking place. The wedding ceremony was interesting, and they were relieved when it was over since they couldn't understand any of it when it was held in Korean.

The wedding was not over though when the unique ceremony was done. There was another ceremony at the church and suddenly they found themselves running to the church because there were only 58 seats and 62 Koreans. While the prospect of standing on these heels for the entire wedding ceremony seemed like a nightmare, the running to the church to prevent this nightmare from happening was not too pleasant either. Lorelai clung to Luke's arm, as they ran. They also ran into Sookie and Jackson in the running crowd.

"Luke!" Sookie exclaimed. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Oh, it was a last minute thing," Luke told Sookie, shooting her a smile.

"Good to have you here. Michel would have hated all of this," Sookie said.

"It would have been fun to watch him adjust though," Lorelai interjected.

They made it into the church, but it seemed already crowded. "What do you see? Do you see anything open?" Lorelai asked, stretching her neck to gain a better look.

"We'll take two and two!" Sookie said. "Two and two is fine."

"We can find four together," Lorelai insisted, craning her neck a little more.

"I don't think we can." Sookie shook her head.

"I see something," Lorelai said, making her way down. "Patty, Patty!"

"Oh, hi, honey. What a pretty dress. Oh, the things you can pull off with that body," Miss Patty said, bringing a hand to her chest. "Oh, Luke. I didn't know you were coming. You look- breathtaking wouldn't be the right word, would it?"

Before Lorelai or Luke could answer to the compliments, Jackson cut in, gesturing to the seats next to Miss Patty, "These all taken?"

"Oh, no, I just thought I'd save some in case. Here, come sit."

They took their seats and soon enough after some back and forth and some small talk, the ceremony was starting already. Lorelai watched as the twenty-one-year-old walked down the aisle all by herself to get married. To Lorelai, Lane was still a little girl.

During the ceremony, she told Luke a story about how she first met Lane. It was not too long ago, but here they were watching her get married. They were witnessing Lane's wedding. A girl, who was Rory's age. Rory's generation was old enough to get married.

"This is the first one of Rory's friends to get married," Lorelai whispered to Luke.

"Yeah," he exhaled, still looking straight at the ceremony.

"You know, Rory could be next," Lorelai said, leaning closer to Luke, craning her neck to have a better look at Lane getting married, but also so no one else was catching her words.

"No," Luke said.

"Luke," she hissed.

"We'll be next," he said, taking her hand in his, not looking at her, but watching the ceremony. It was neither the time nor the place to talk about their possible wedding. Not when they were sitting in the middle of another one.

Still, Luke's certainty caught Lorelai off guard. They haven't talked about their wedding in weeks. Not since Martha's Vineyard. And now he was bringing it up like they had a date set soon. They used to have one, but not anymore.

She watched him watch the ceremony, her eyes darting ever so often down to their joined hands. He didn't let go of her left hand after a short squeeze. He was actually holding her hand in public, not caring if others might see it. He was holding it casually during a wedding ceremony, suddenly starting to play with her engagement ring on her finger.

Whatever was going on in Luke's mind might turn out good for their relationship, Lorelai mused and relaxed. For now, she squeezed his hand back and intertwined their fingers afterward. She could get used to the PDA showing side of him.

* * *

 _I have to be honest with you, this reuniting scene is probably one of my favorite things I have ever written for Gilmore Girls. The hug is so intense. I hope you could feel it too. What do you think of the chapter? It's a rollercoaster of mixed signals, isn't it? All too easy, right? The next chapter will bring in the juicy discussion. However, I won't update next weekend because I will upload a new chapter to First Year of Marriage instead. I won't be seeing you for this story for two weeks, but our Ls are in a sort of happy place at the moment, holding hands, so I hope you don't mind. I wish you all a lovely weekend and if you like, leave me a_ review _. xxx_


	3. Too Late

**Chapter 3: Too Late**

The ceremony was over sooner than expected and the wedding guests were exiting the church, ready to start the more relaxed part of the day. The wedding reception took place on the town square like so many other town events and weddings before. That square had seen it all: the good, the bad, and everything in-between.

Lorelai still was little flustered after the ceremony. Her daughter's best friend was a wife now, while Lorelai didn't have a wedding date set anymore. Still, the man she wanted to be her husband told her they would be married next. She had no clue when and how. Luke's certainty threw her off, but she still managed to engage in a conversation with Sookie and Jackson about their babysitter, who might be a crackhead.

She watched her best friend and her husband go to a quieter place, so they could call the babysitter in peace and check in with their kids. It was the only wise thing to do if they wanted to see if she really was doing okay.

"Wanna check out where our table is?" Luke suggested in the meantime.

Under normal circumstances, Lorelai would have agreed, but not with what was going on in her head at the moment. She couldn't leave his revelation from earlier unaddressed. Being the next one to marry was news to her, big news, which needed discussing.

So, Lorelai dragged Luke away from the wedding party, down a street, from which they could still look to the town square. "Where we're going, Lorelai?" Luke asked.

She didn't answer him right away, just walking straight on, the heels of her shoes clicking loudly on the ground. She came to a stop in front of a house, she knew was vacated because the person living in it was at the wedding as well. "Luke, I-" She bit her lip. "I think we should talk."

"Now?" Luke's eyes widened, and he looked back at the wedding party behind him. The people were still cheering Lane and Zach.

"Yes, now." She pulled at his arm, so he looked back at her. "Because now was the moment you told me that you wanted to get married. Soon, so we could be the next ones. That's news to me."

"We're at a wedding. That's not exactly the place to discuss things like that," Luke argued.

"Exactly, but you brought it up anyway." Lorelai gestured to the church over his shoulder, where he had dropped the bomb, which had been keeping her thoughts occupied ever since.

"We'll talk about it," Luke assured her.

"I just-" Lorelai said, but Luke cut her off. He said, "As soon as this is over if you want to, but not now. Not here. Okay?" Again, he was looking over his shoulder.

"No, I have been patient for so long. I'm at the wedding of a twenty-one-year-old, for goodness sake, while my own wedding was supposed to be in a few weeks. But that's postponed to-" She shook her head. "Let's be honest, it's canceled."

Cancellation. The word sounded harsh, but it was the truth. No more hiding behind the euphemism of postponement, nothing but the ugly truth, no more pretending. She had pretended for so long.

"I know," Luke answered.

"How would you know? You don't seem like you care a whole lot." This time she gestured to him. She was used to talking with her hands. It was to mark her point.

"I'm here. I'm suggesting to put the plans back into motion."

"It's too late for that." Lorelai kept shaking her head. She had to let go of June 3rd; so much had changed ever since she had planned that wedding. Going through with it now would seem like a farce, not true to herself anymore. "June 3rd won't happen," she pointed out.

"It doesn't have to be June 3rd," Luke argued.

"It was supposed to be June 3rd," she corrected him. She chocked at her own emotion. She had wished so badly for June 3rd to happen.

"We'll work it out," Luke said, a hand coming to rest on her upper arm.

She stared at him. He was so sure about it, without doubts. She had been having doubts for so long now. She questioned a lot, foremost his feelings, and their relationship.

"Come on, you look like you could eat," he said, smoothing his hand over her arm.

"Luke," she sighed and shook her head, hoping he would get the demanding tone she was setting. This discussion was not over and he would not be granted an easy out. Her emtpy stomach could wait.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked, letting go of her.

"Where is this coming from?"

"You're not happy with what I'm suggesting?" Luke frowned.

"Of course, I am," she assured him. She had waited for him to say those words for weeks. She had waited for him to finally see her pain, to finally see what had been bothering her for so long. "But why now?"

"I realized a thing or two when I was gone." He looked at his hands, fidgeting.

"So distance makes the heart grow fonder after all?"

"I made a mistake. I-" His voice broke and he shook his head. He looked over his shoulder yet again. "I can't do this here"

"You have to! It's now or never." The moment was here, she wouldn't let a pass on it. For weeks, she had been giving it a pass.

"I don't like ultimatums." He was trying to get out of this, but she wouldn't give this to him. Not now. Not today.

"I don't like Mondays but unfortunately they come around eventually," she joked. His scowl would not soften, so she added with emphasis, "Luke, I need this now." She stretched her arms in his directions, begging for a change of mind. "I've been hurting for weeks. I've been waiting for weeks for you to come and tell me you want to get married, but I need to know why now. Why at this wedding?"

Luke took a few moments to answer. He spent his time with taking breath after breath, inhaling and exhaling. He was good at avoiding Lorelai's gaze, looking back over his shoulder where the wedding guests spread over the square. It bought him time, she figured, to find the right words to explain what was going on his mind. And Lorelai was willing to give this to him. There was no hurry when she would get an answer to her question.

When he met her gaze again, he said, "Yesterday, or maybe it was only this morning, I realized how much you were hurting because there was no wedding date set in the near future. I had no clue you were feeling this way. I thought our talk on Martha's Vineyard settled that. But that was obviously not the case. I can't stand the idea of you hurting. When you hurt, I want to comfort you. It's in my nature. Yet I am the one causing you the pain. Isn't that contradicting?"

"If you put like that, yes it is." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting for him to say more.

"I hate myself for being so ignorant, for not seeing any of that. Okay?"

Lorelai nodded, not forming any words. She needed him to speak on.

"I can't believe I let this happen, and I want to make it up to you. I want-" His voice trailed off. "I want you, Lorelai. I'm not giving this up without a fight. I'm here."

"I see you."

"Can you say more than that?"

"Luke." She brought her arms tighter around her. She had been waiting for these words. She longed for them in a way, which made it so hard to respond in any kind of way. It was overwhelming.

"Is it too late?" Luke went with his fingers through his hair. His limps were obviously shaking. He truly thought it might be too late.

They were not at that point yet. "No," Lorelai told him. "No, it's not too late."

"But?"

Luke must have figured from her voice that there was something else, that this was not everything. "You really hurt me," she revealed, looking at the ground, but then looking him straight in the eye again. She needed to see the effect these words had on him.

"I know," Luke said, his gaze darting to the sidewalk too, only for a second. "You have to talk to me. You have to tell me when I'm an idiot."

"You were a big idiot," Lorelai said.

"I was." Luke nodded. "I still am."

She agreed, but the man she truly loved could not be the world's biggest idiot. He was a good guy, who made a mistake, or two. "But I also get why you behaved the way you did. You found out you had a twelve-year-old daughter. That's huge."

"That should never be an excuse for being an idiot."

"It's overwhelming, and in those big situations, you might not think straight. You overlook things." Lorelai shrugged. She could only imagine what he must have been going through. "And I tried to be the supportive fiancée you needed me to be, but there's only as much neglecting as I can take."

"I know. I'll change that. No more neglecting," he assured her.

"You're serious?" Lorelai asked; the arms still folded in front of her.

"Lorelai, I've never been more serious about anything in my life than you. I told you I was all in."

"I didn't feel like that anymore," she shot back.

"I know we made a commitment to one another and I want to make it happen. No more postponing, no more waiting."

"We've waited way too long," Lorelai whispered. Emotion rose up, making it hard to talk. Luke certainly knew how to make her blood rush, how to make her heart beat, and how to make her feel emotional so that her one true talent of talking was becoming hard.

"Exactly."

Lorelai took it in for a moment, she needed the time to gain control over her emotion, so she could think straight. "We need to talk this out properly," Lorelai said, at last, gesturing between them. "This is just the start. It's all we can settle now in the middle of the town. There has to come more."

"Yes, whenever you want," Luke told her, sounding confident.

"Later," Lorelai stressed. "For now, we should be enjoying the wedding first." She jerked her head to the party on the square behind him.

"Are we good?" Luke pressed, for once not turning his head over his shoulder. He seemed to not care anymore about what the other people might think. His priority was their relationship.

"Yes," Lorelai assured him. "We know we have work to do, but we also know that we want this."

"You still want this?" Luke asked. His asking was giving away his insecurities. He needed some kind of reassurance.

Lorelai was willing to give it to him. Even with everything that was happening with them, she still was sure about him being the one. She was still sure that she could build a life with him. She was sure.

"I love you," she said, looking him straight in the eye.

His clenched jaw relaxed, his features brightening up, a smile forming on his face. Lorelai was about to take everything in, but then he swept her up in his arms, pressing their bodies to each other. "Only God knows why you do, but I'm relieved you do," he said into her hair.

Her arms fell naturally around his neck, holding onto him. His arms were giving her the support she needed around her middle. "There were times I wondered too," she admitted.

"I love you," he responded, tightening his arms around her waist. He didn't use the words often around her. Whenever he did, they were special.

"Don't make me cry, Luke," Lorelai said, burying her nose in the crook of his neck for the second time this day. She felt how her eyes were filling up with tears.

"I bet you have some makeup in your bag for touch-ups."

"Not the point." She said, leaning back so she could meet his gaze. She still was not able to take in his features properly. Her sight was blurry with the tears in her eyes. She loosened one of her arms around his neck, so she could bring her hand up to her eyes to make the tears go away. "Look at me, I'm a crybaby."

"Happy tears or-" Luke asked.

It was the stupidest question Luke could ask, and Lorelai silenced him with a kiss, her arms pulling him closer to her, so her lips could mold against his.

"It doesn't have to be June 3rd, but sometime soon. Okay?" Luke said when they parted, still in each other arms.

"I would like that." One of Lorelai's hands was tracing along Luke's jaw, her thumb going over his cheek.

"Me too." Luke's right hand smoothed over her back up to her nape, where he buried his hands in her hair.

"You are serious?" Lorelai asked him again.

"I've never been more serious in my entire life."

"Is that a yes?"

"The only way out of this is in a body bag," Luke told her, smiling down at her.

Lorelai returned his smile. "That's a language I understand."

"You too?" Luke asked as he ended the embrace, letting her slip out of his arms.

"I will outlive you," Lorelai announced. Not only was he older than her, but a man's lifespan was shorter than a woman's.

"I was thinking of a romantic double suicide when we're gray and old."

"You will have many years to convince me to do that." Lorelai patted Luke's shoulder.

"Lorelai," he exhaled deeply, reaching for a strand of hair, which had fallen into her face.

"I was supposed to get super drunk and give an embarrassing speech." This wedding was not how she had imagined it to be. She thought she would be having a hard time. It was hard, but with the knowledge Luke was committed to her, it was easier, so much easier than the last weeks had been left in the unknown.

"You can still do that."

"Will you get drunk with me?" She asked.

"No, I'll make sure you get home alright," he replied. He was the reasonable one in this relationship, but she wouldn't let him be today.

"I like it when we get drunk together. The sex is usually good." She raised an eyebrow. She noticed how his Adam's apple bobbed up and down when she reached out for his hand, tilting her head, shooting him another smile. She was about to flip her hair over her shoulder when he crashed his lips against hers. Before she knew it, his tongue made its way into her mouth, seeking her tongue out.

Again, she was pressed against his body, even tighter than before. His hands were roaming her back, one of it making its way to the small of her back and then coming to rest on her hip, kneading. Meanwhile, his kissing grew more passionate with some nibbling on her lips, there was a light use of teeth.

When Lorelai heard him moan, she knew she had to slow things down; they were in public. She tilted her head to the other side, taking over control, slowing things down, while her left hand held onto his shoulder and her right hand angled his head to her pleasing. Eventually, they were only exchanging more or less pecks; some were longer than others.

"One beer won't hurt," he whispered against her lips, immediately seeking out her lips again.

"Come on," she exhaled, leaning her forehead against his. "This is not the place for any of this."

"Mrs. Kim will regret she ordered me to come," Luke said, both of his hands were now around her waist again, more innocently than before.

Lorelai chuckled, resting her head on his shoulder, so she could stay in his arms a little longer. "I'm glad she did."

"Do you think a thank-you card will be enough or will I have to send her a bouquet of flowers?"

"No flowers," Lorelai remarked. "I'm the only one getting flowers from you."

Lorelai could hear one of Luke's typical snorts to that. They were back to their normal selves, especially when Luke asked, "How long do we have to hug like this?"

"A little while longer," Lorelai mumbled against the skin of his neck. "Until I realize my brain has not made any of this up."

"My suit will get all-wrinkled," Luke complained.

"Has Emily Gilmore finally gotten in your head?" Lorelai laughed, pushing away from him, setting him finally free.

"Come, let's eat," Luke offered, his arm stretching in her direction.

"Or we could drink first," Lorelai teased, walking past him. His hand fell on the small of her back, making his way back to the square. They left the conversation unaddressed for now, stealing glances and smiles at each other as they walked through the wedding reception.

Eventually, they met Sookie and Jackson again, both looking relieved that the babysitter was doing okay. The four of them were looking for the bar when Rory joined them.

"There you guys are. I was very proud of the lack of heckling coming from your section," Rory said.

"Yeah, yeah. We were real good now. Where's the bar?" Lorelai asked immediately.

"Shh, don't say that so loud," Rory warned her.

"What? No! No way, no bar? Are you kidding me?" Lorelai frowned, she was not able to hide her displeasure. She was very relieved when she learned that wedding reception with alcohol would be held as soon as Mrs. Kim would leave the party.

When that moment finally came Lorelai left the group and she made her way to Lane and Zach. "Excuse me. Hold on a second. There's something wrong with your dress here. Let me just," she said, fumbling with the dress for a moment and then pulling some of the material away. "Got it!"

"Yes!" Zach exclaimed when he saw the short skirt of Lane's gown. "My wife's got legs! So, let's get this party started!"

There was cheering all over the place. Lorelai watched as the newly wedded couple led the way to the festivities, they looked so happy. Her heart was filling up with the joy those two felt. She wanted to feel the same joy, the same excitement.

She averted her gaze from them and locked eyes with Luke, who was standing a few yards away with Sookie and Jackson. He flashed her a smile over the square. That smile assured her that it wasn't too late. That soon they would be feeling just like Lane and Zach. How and when - that still needed to be discussed, but one thing was for sure, it would happen and that was enough for Lorelai at the moment.

* * *

 _So, I hope no one of you had a heart-attack when you read the chapter's title - I couldn't resist the tease. I do hope on the contrary your hearts are swelling up with emotion and joy. Luke and Lorelai did some very necessary talking and I think we can all agree that we'll sign the thank-you note for Mrs. Kim, right? There's still one more chapter left. I will post it before Christmas, either next week or the week after. I haven't made up my mind yet. In the meantime, have a nice first Sunday of advent if you're lighting candles like me. If not, have a lovely weekend or a nice start of the week. Thanks for reading and if you like, let me know what you think. xxx_


	4. Finally

**Chapter 4: Finally**

The wedding was a blast; people were enjoying themselves and having fun. So did Lorelai, especially when she finally held a drink in her hands. The talk with Luke had been much and a little overwhelming. The alcohol helped to let it sink in.

Luke's disapproving look was a treat too. She liked it when he cared about her. Finally, he was showing off that side of him again. Finally, he was showing her that she meant something to him and she was not indifferent to him, not just the woman he was seeing occasionally, but the woman he loved and wanted to spend his life with.

To wrap her head around that fact, she needed booze, far less than she would have needed when Luke wasn't at the wedding, but she still needed some. A glass soon turned into the second one, which was almost emptied when Lane and Zach approached their table.

"We actually thought we should make the rounds before we're too toasted to remember who you are," Zach told them, looking around the table. His eyes widened when his eyes settled on Luke, and then there was a squeal coming from his wife, which made Zach jerk his head to her.

"Luke!" Lane exclaimed, swept Luke up to his feet and threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you came."

"I wouldn't miss it." Luke looked down at her with a smile. "You're my favorite employee."

Then Luke turned to Zach, shaking hands with him as he said, "Congratulations. You watch out for her."

"I will," he promised, raising his hands almost like in defeat. Luke's warning tone probably had prompted him to do so.

"Hey, I want to take a picture of everyone with Lane and Zach," Rory announced and hushed everyone together.

"Oh, god, I hate the paparazzi," Lorelai muttered when she made sure her hair was still looking okay. She tilted her head closer the bridal pair and smiled at the camera.

"Come on, get in the picture. Say 'cheese'," Rory told them, pointed her camera at them.

Everyone was doing as told and said in unison, "Cheese!"

Rory was quick about taking the picture. "Thank you."

"Okay. We should go," Lane announced. "We have six more tables to hit. If we forget to say it later, we are really glad you came. Especially you, Luke. Such surprise!"

"Yeah-yeah." Luke waved it off, but he patted Lane's shoulder as she passed him to go to the next table.

They all smiled at them, watching as they left, Sookie and Jackson waving after them and stood up to get to the bar. Luke sighed, and then asked Lorelai, "Want something to drink too?"

"Finally time for your beer?" Lorelai asked back. He had promised to share a drink with her earlier.

"Martini?"

Lorelai nodded and then turned to Rory, who had just gotten in her seat next to her. "Let me see the picture," Lorelai requested.

"No, you'll delete it," Rory argued.

"Not if is it's good," Lorelai argued back. There was some bickering arising, whether Lorelai looked like Rhoda in pictures or not, but eventually, they settled their disagreement and Rory showed her mother the pictures on her camera.

"Wow, you have a lot of pictures," Lorelai gushed as they flipped through the pictures.

"I like proof, okay?"

"Wait, go back," Lorelai suddenly said. Something odd had caught her eye. Something she had not expected to see on her daughter's camera. Something she had not been prepared to see at all.

"What?"

"Flip back," Lorelai demanded. She needed to be sure what she had seen. "Who's that?"

"That's me with April," Rory revealed.

Her initial thought was right then. She thought she had recognized this girl, even though she had only ever met her once in person and had seen her another time through a big window. However, she still had recognized the glasses and the stubby hair. She had only engaged little words with her, but her presence was etched in her memory. And now, her own daughter had a picture taken with her. "Oh," Lorelai finally managed to say. "When did you meet April?"

"Um, when I went to Philadelphia for Jess' open house," Rory said, turning off the camera.

"Jess? Philadelphia? What am I missing here?" Her daughter was keeping secrets from her. She had not heard about any of this.

"Nothing. Jess' work had an open house, I was invited, and I went and Luke showed up there with April. It was a total fluke," she explained. "I swear, nothing happened there."

"Okay. You met April, and took a picture together like you're pals," Lorelai argued. That pictures indicated more than just a coincidental meeting. It looked like they got along, it looked like they connected in some way.

"I swear, mom, it was a crazy coincidence," Rory promised. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just...I felt so weird about it."

"Oh, sure, I get it." Lorelai crossed her arms in front of her. The situation had not been easy for all of them, especially after Rory had decided to go to Anna's store all by herself. Lorelai still disapproved of that.

"Look it's not like Luke was trying to introduce her to me. I walked in. They were there," Rory informed her.

"Yeah, right," said dismissively, her fingers kneading her forearms, the nails digging into her skin. "Okay, fluke."

Rory was about to argue back, when Luke cut in, "It shouldn't have been like this."

Both, Lorelai and Rory were turning their heads to him. He was putting two drinks on the table and carried on, "I should have introduced you both properly. April wants that. She requested it. So if you're up for it, her birthday is coming up and maybe we can have dinner. If we get married, we are going to be a family, so I expect there to be more of those dinners. And I know I'm expecting a lot here, but it is what it is. We have to deal with that, don't we?"

Rory looked at Lorelai, who was not replying anything. Rory prompted her, almost seeking permission, "Mom?"

"Can you give Luke and me a moment please?" Lorelai asked Rory. She needed to talk alone with Luke. This was not something she wanted Rory to be there, even though whatever they decided on this would affect Rory too. She was bound to get a step-sister, who she apparently got along just fine if she already had a photo with her on her camera.

"Okay. But just so you know, I want this. I want to have dinner, where it's just the four of us," Rory said and laying emphasis on her last words. "Like a family."

"Thanks," Luke said, nodding to her.

Rory had gotten out of her seat again, standing between Luke, who was still standing and holding on the back of a chair, and her mother, who was sitting, her gaze fixated on the table in front of her. "And for the record, it was stupid how you handled this. We were dying to meet her all this time," Rory clarified.

"That I've heard," Luke sighed, burying his hands in his pants' pockets. He was right to do so. He had to feel uncomfortable. If Rory was a little mad at someone, the person must have screwed up a lot.

"Better late than never," Rory said and left, probably engaging with another citizen or going over her toast, which she was ought to give later.

Both, Lorelai and Luke watched her go away and avoided each other's gaze for a moment. They knew the kind of talk, which needed to follow was going to be hard since it was long overdue.

Eventually, Luke sat down on the chair next to Lorelai. He fumbled with his fingers, which he was resting atop of the table. "You don't want to meet April?" He asked; his voice was nothing but a whisper, soft, almost a little wary. He probably was also careful to keep his voice low, so no one would catch his words.

Lorelai shook her head. Luke was misinterpreting her actions yet again. "Like Rory said, we're dying to meet her. That's all I wanted ever since I learned about her," she clarified.

"But you were acting weird whenever I brought her up."

"Because you were acting weird about it." She turned her head to him, widening her eyes. This whole situation was weird.

"So we are both weird?" He met her gaze.

"Weird and weird attract each other apparently." She gestured between them back and forth. Usually, she would smile at a remark like this, but this time around she tried to keep a straight face. Yet, she felt her lips twitch into a smile for a second.

"Looks like it," Luke said, his lips twitched to one of his typical smirks too. It was easy to fall back into old habits and routines. After all, they had known each other for almost a decade now.

"April wants to meet Rory and me?" Lorelai checked again, bringing the conversation back to its topic.

"Yes," he said with a firm voice. No signs of insecurities showing, no rubbing of the back of his neck or going through his hair. His answer was accompanied by a straight look in her eyes.

"So the women in your life want to engage with each other, are you okay with that?" She asked, making sure he was aware of his choices.

"The women in my life don't leave me much of a choice," he remarked.

"Well, you are outnumbered," Lorelai stated, tilting her head. It was three women against one Luke Danes. He was bound to lose every discussion now and in the future.

"That I am." He nodded his head lightly, the smirk on his lips was growing larger the longer he looked her in the eye.

Lorelai held the contact for a while. Debating what do say next, his eyes made her believe he was serious about what he said. Everything about his showing up today and the talks they had so far was proof of that. "I can't wait to meet April," Lorelai said at last. "Properly."

"Yeah."

"Finally," she exhaled deeply. It was a long time coming, but finally, she would meet her step-daughter-to-be. For weeks, she had waited for this moment and it was finally there.

"I'm just-" Luke was shaking his head, his voice was trailing off.

"What?" Lorelai asked. She could not believe there was still doubt within Luke about a meeting that all women in his life wanted. He could not have any reservations about this.

Luke sighed, eventually revealing what was going on in his head. "She will like you better."

"That's not true." It was a ridiculous thought Luke was expressing.

"You're bubbly, good with kids. You're fun, and I'm-" He paused, shaking his head again. "Well, I'm me."

"You're her dad," Lorelai argued. "She only has one, who I could never replace. The only one, who might be frightened by my entrance in April's life is Anna. I'm the cool step-mother-to-be and that's what single mothers dread the most. I know a thing or two about that."

"Still." To the shaking of his hand came now a fumbling of his hands. He was actually concerned about this, even though to Lorelai it sounded crazy. If their little family should happen, she had to soothe his nerves somehow.

"Here's what we can do," she said, placing her right hand over his hands to make them stop fumbling. "You can tell me when I'm overstepping or if you don't feel comfortable, but me meeting April is inevitable."

Luke lifted his head to look at her again. "I think it's just that I had so little time with her and I'm not used to sharing her. I'm a little selfish."

"And you have every right to be." Lorelai gave his hands a squeeze. "You missed out on 12 years of her life, and you can't get them back. But if you really want a life with me, there's no way around this."

"I know."

"And you'll still have April for yourself. You can have one-on-one-time, I insist upon that. It's what I do with Rory too."

"Yeah." Luke pulled his hands out of her grasp, bringing them to his thighs to smooth over his pants.

"And look at it that way. Wouldn't it be worse if she hated me?" She tried every trick to make him less uncomfortable. His gaze softened. Apparently, it was working.

"Way worse." He gave her a side-glance.

"You see, then that's settled." Lorelai waved a hand in the air.

"I can still feel uncomfortable about it?" He asked.

"It wouldn't be you if you didn't," she said, but he didn't answer because he was still trying to adjust to that idea. "Hey, shall we start the drinking?" She suggested. "It might help."

"Yes," he sighed, reaching for the two glasses so they could get through with this plan. It felt appropriate to drink after such a hard talk. It felt like a big milestone in their relationship. It was neither Lorelai nor Luke's intention to talk at the wedding about things like meeting April and integrating her into their life. But they managed to do so anyhow. Consuming alcohol felt like the right way to end a talk like this.

The talk had been necessary though and it brought them closer together. It also made it easier for them to enjoy the wedding, knowing that one of their biggest issues had been resolved. They were able to laugh and joke with Sookie and Jackson. They cheered and clapped at Rory's speech without any reluctance. It felt natural for Luke to place his hands on Lorelai's knee when they were sitting at the table. She would bump her shoulder into his whenever she directed his gaze to another guest, who was embarrassing himself at the wedding.

When music was played and some couples started to dance, Luke asked Lorelai out too. She looked at him stunned, but she took him up on his offer. Usually, she was the one, who would drag him to the dance floor, begging him to grant her one more dance. It was a nice change that their roles had reversed.

"The next wedding we'll dance on, we'll be ours," Luke blurted out as they danced to a slower song.

"Luke." She didn't expect him to bring this up yet again at this wedding. Talks like this were supposed to take place in private and not on the dance floor at Lane's wedding, where everybody could listen to them.

"I'm serious," he cut her off before she could voice any objections.

"We don't even have a date," she argued. June 3rd would not happen.

"I'm still weighing in on the elopement. Let's plan that."

"You can't plan an elopement," she clarified. They had this discussion before. Elopements were not supposed to be planned. Elopements were supposed to just happen.

"Than let's go for a small ceremony. Rory should be there. And I know you want Sookie there with Jackson and the kids." He jerked his head to Sookie and Jackson, who were sitting at their table talking to some other citizens.

"Don't forget about your sister and TJ adding to the craziness," Lorelai said, thinking of the dance she shared at Liz and TJ's wedding. It was the start of their relationship, and here they were two years later dancing yet again on the town square at someone's wedding. Things did not change much.

"Shall we add your parents to the mix?" Luke suggested.

"We better should, otherwise my mother will be mad for decades." The fit Emily would throw once she would hear she was not invited to her only daughter's wedding was unbearable to even think of.

"And we don't want that."

"No," Lorelai shook her head. Keeping the peace with her mother was a key criterion for a happy life.

"Jess needs to be there, as well," Luke said.

"Is Rory alright with that?" She had no clue if Rory and Jess were friends at the moment or if Rory was still heartbroken after the breakup. Things with them were never easy.

"I think, they are on good terms. They seemed alright when they met in Philadelphia." Luke was right. If they had seen each other there, they should be alright to keep their peace at a wedding.

"Okay. So, with us, that makes 10 adults and 2 kids. I'm not sure if Rory will bring Logan, but one more or less doesn't make a difference. Still small enough for you?" She asked, surprised at how easily they were starting to plan their wedding here dancing on someone else's wedding.

"Very," he confirmed with a nod.

"Luke?" Lorelai frowned after she had reviewed the list of people again. The list was not complete and she was surprised he had not noticed.

"Yeah?"

"Didn't you forget someone on the list?"

"I'm not inviting Kirk," he muttered, low enough so no one could hear.

"He would love that though," Lorelai argued, thinking of how happy Kirk would be if he were invited to such a special moment in Luke's life. He certainly looked up to him in a way.

"Not happening," Luke insisted.

"What about April?" Lorelai asked. He had named all his other family to come, but he had left out his daughter. And even though just a while ago they decided April was bound to be included in their life, Lorelai was wary if he was serious about it.

"Oh, right. That totally slipped my mind. Yes, she needs to be there too. I'll check with Anna." His face was in a frown.

She studied him for a moment, but then checked, "You're serious?"

"About what?"

"Eloping?" She clarified. "Well, marrying small?" There was no doubt he wanted April to be there. It had simply slipped his mind, she believed him.

"It's what you want, isn't it?"

"Is it what you want too?" She shot back; she was just as good at deflecting as he was.

"I want you, so yes."

Luke sounded sure, so Lorelai switched to planning mode. It was so easy, yet again. "We're talking this summer, right?"

"Yes." He pulled her a little closer to him, which brought a smile to her face. They had not been dancing anymore; it had been just swaying a little back and forth in their stand, but now he stepped up their dancing game again.

"I'll start planning tomorrow," she said, looking him in the eye. "Martha's Vineyard is still your top choice?"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," he said and slipping his hand around her waist away, so he could turn her around to the quicker music, which started to play just then. She threw her head back in laughter when he twirled her around on the dance floor. She didn't mind it being spazzy because she was enjoying herself, more than she had done in a long while.

The evening came eventually to an end, but not quite as imagined. Rory received a call about Logan being in the hospital and she had to leave Stars Hollow, which left the house to Luke and Lorelai. Even though Lorelai was worried about Rory, she was also relieved to have the house to herself with Luke. Not just for the improper things she could do to him with her daughter out of the house, but they also needed to do some more talking in private.

"I'm sorry I was such a jerk in the last weeks," Luke admitted, leaning forward so his elbows came to rest on his knees. He searched for her eyes, turning his head to his right. They were sitting on the couch in the living room.

"It's okay," Lorelai assured him, reaching out for his shoulder. "I have not been as forward with my feelings and thoughts lately. How should you have known?"

"You usually talk a mile a minute," Luke pointed out.

"Yeah," Lorelai sighed. She had not been herself, but she had a perfectly fine reason. "I was afraid."

"Of me?" Luke's eyes widened in shock and he leaned back.

Lorelai shook her head in response. She was never afraid of him. "Of losing you. The last time I pushed, we broke up."

"Yeah," Luke exhaled deeply. "Is there anything else you didn't tell me?"

The big issues of April and the wedding had been discussed. She let her gaze wander around in the living room, thinking of the last weeks, thinking of what bothered her. Her eyes darted to the stairs, which lead to the first floor. There was the bedroom. A bedroom that was supposed to be theirs, in a house that was supposed to be theirs, but they still called it her place. "Move in with me," she said at last.

"What?" Luke frowned. To him, it came out of the blue, but in reality, it was a natural step, something they had talked about ever since they had gotten engaged last summer.

"We remodeled the house so you could move in, but you never did. Not with all your stuff," Lorelai clarified. "And I want you and all your stuff here."

"You're sure?" Luke asked.

"Luke!"

"Just checking." He lifted his hands in the air.

"I wouldn't be suggesting it if I wasn't sure. Aren't you sure?" She asked now.

"We'll do it soon."

His response had come fast, but Lorelai still had to check. "For sure?"

"For sure," he promised and grinned. They were alike in their need of reassurance, asking if the other was sure.

"Can we squeeze it in between meeting April and the wedding?" Lorelai asked. She was setting priorities, April, living together, and then making their family official.

"Yes." Luke's body language mirrored his words with the nodding of the head.

"I'll get some moving boxes then." Her to-do list for tomorrow grew longer and longer, but she didn't mind.

"I don't have that much stuff," he argued, but he was not right.

"You do, everybody does," she argued back.

"Ok, then I'll move in." He was nodding his head up and down, not stopping for a while. Lorelai knew he was processing things, he needed his time to wrap his head around that idea. Eventually, he said, "I'm not good with change, so why not change everything at once, right? It will be like ripping off a band-aid."

"Wow, you compare a life with me to a band-aid?" She was a little offended by him saying so, but mostly she was putting up a show, to play with his mind.

He knew when she was teasing him and he saw behind her actions. With a smirk on his face, he said, "I'm looking forward to seeing the healed skin underneath it."

Afterwards, Luke also jerked his head up a little and she didn't need more encouragement to lean in his direction, placing her hands on his shoulder so she wouldn't lose her balance sitting on the couch.

"There you go," she whispered before she brought her lips to his. The kiss set free energy; it set free love. It was the first kiss in forever that was not burdened with ballast and problems. Of course, there was still a long way ahead of them, but it seemed like they would manage all of it. The big issues were discussed and out of the way. If everything went according to the plan they would be a fully committed married couple with two daughters living in a house with their dog by the end of the summer. Finally.

All of that happened because a twenty-one-year-old got married and her mother insisted on Luke escorting his fiancée. Just a day ago, all of it seemed so far away, but with the kiss they exchanged it was a new beginning. The beginning they deserved. It was a clean start; even though the kiss led to some dirtier activities.

"I can't believe we're lying naked in bed, feeling oh-so-happy. That's not how I imagined this day would go," Lorelai said in a whisper against Luke's chest, where her head was resting. She was snuggled up to his side; her hands roaming his skin. "And all because Mrs. Kim insisted upon your presence to the wedding."

"Yeah, what can I say." He inhaled deeply, pulling her a little closer to him and then bringing his hand up to her hair, so he could start playing with it between his fingers.

"The next time you're giving me a hard time, I'll go straight to her," Lorelai threatened him. It was good to know how to make Luke do what she wanted him to. She had no idea Mrs. Kim had such power over him.

"She'll only do something about it if it's in her own interest."

"Unfortunately," Lorelai sighed. Luke had a point with that. Mrs. Kim did only act in her best interest. She was not concerned with other's people wishes. But for once, Mrs. Kim has worked in Lorelai and Luke's favor. Lorelai was afraid to think where they would be without her interfering. It was a dark place and she liked lying in bed with her fiancé better.

 **THE END**

* * *

 _This was it, my quick fix the mess of season 6 with Luke showing up at Lane's wedding and no sign of Christopher near our precious, hurting Lorelai. There was no awful drunken speech, which wrecked all our hearts. Luke and Lorelai talked it all out - easily - because their problems were easy to fix if they would have talked about them properly. Sometimes, all you need is a bump in the right direction._

 _Thanks for reading and taking this journey with me. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. This story is probably one of my favorites so far. You would make my day if you shared your thoughts with me._

 _All that's left to say is happy holidays! And more generally speaking, have a nice weekend. I hope to see you all soon for another story, you never know when the muse strikes. And once and for all, I have to say, you gotta love Mrs. Kim, right? xxx_


End file.
